Improved nail-machine



2 Sheets Sheet 1.

R. 0. GRANT. NAIL MACHINE.

N0. 77 ,604. Patented May 5, 1868.

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

R. 0. GRANT. NAIL MACHINE.

No. 77,604. Patented May 5, 1868.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

ROYAL CLARK GRANT, OF MIDDLEPORT, OHIO.

.lM PROVED NAI-L-MACHIN E.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 77,604, dated May 5, 1 6

- have-invented,certain new and useful Improve ments in Nail-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to 0011- struct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention consists in a novel construction of a machine for cutting ant heading nails, the peculiarities of which will e hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure 1 is atop plan view with a portion of the frame broken away at the center. Fig. 2 is asiinilar view with a port-ionof the surface of the cylinder removed to exhibit the clamping devices. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 1 y-of Fig. 1.- Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on the line at m of Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are views of certain details hereinafter explained.

In constructing machines for cutting nails it has usually been customary to so construct them that the cutting-jaws had a reciprocatin g curvilinear motion and itis found in practice that this peculiar motion of the cutting devices tends to wear or injure their edge, and also that in consequence of their having azreciprocat-ing motion the machines are necessarily run at a limited speed. In most machines it is also necessary to have either an attendant or a mechanical apparatus for turning and feeding the bar or plate to the cutters.

In my improved machine I entirely obviate these three objections by so constructing it thatcutting-jaws rotate in a horizontal plane. Their motion is continuous, and the plate is fed by its own gravity.

In constructing my improved machine Iuse a cylinder, 13, in which I locate the most of the devices, this cylinder being mounted upon a bed, A, in such a manner as to permit it to rot-ate in a horizontal plane around a central shaft, 0, secured rigidly to the base A, asrep-- re'sented'more clearly in Fig. 4. From this base A extends a series of vertical arms, E,

and to these arms, above the cylinder, is

secured a series of radial arms, D, as represented in Figs. 1 and 3, though instead ofthese arms D a plate may be substituted and made to answer the same purpose. face of the cylinder B, I attach rigidly a series of cutters, at, these cutters being arranged in two concentric circles, as represented in Fig. 2, the line lrepresenting the inner-edge of one series and the outer edge of the other series or circle of cutters. These cutters are so arranged that those of the two circles shall alternate-that is to say, that inibllowing the series around on the face of the cylinder 13 there will be first one in the inner circle, then onein the outer circle, and so on alternately around the whole series of cutters in the two circles. There may of course be any required number of these cutters in .each series, and there may also be several series of them on the one ey1-' inder or disk, if desired; but in all cases theyv must alternate in their position laterally, as just described, and in addition-thereto the upper edge of these cutters must be inclined in opposite directions, as represented in Fig. 5, all those in one circle being inclined as represented by a, and those in the other circle as represented by a of said Fig. 5. rangement of cutters is adopted for the purpose of avoiding the necessity for turning the plate, and at the same-time cutting the nails with an inclined or wedge shape, as is now,

the custom. I

To feed the plate to the cutters, and to hold it in position while being cut, I provide each of the arms D, on one side, with a horizontallysliding plate g, which. has inv it a vertical groove of proper size to receive and hold the nail-plate b, as representedin Figs. 3 and 4, the plate b being inserted therein and feddown upon the face of the cylinder ]3 by its own gravity. To this plate 9 I impart a longitudinal reciprocating motion by means of a camgroove, t, in the face of the plate I, secured to the face of the disk B, as represented in Fig. 4, there being a stud, m, attached to or projecting from the under side of the plate 9, and working in the groove ,t. This cam-groove t'inust be so constructed asto move the plate and with it the nail-plate b, each time that a nail is cut-that is to say, as the disk re volves and brings one of the cutters in one series against the blank b and cuts a nail therefrom, the plate 9, with the blank, is then Upon the upper.

This ar-' moved radially over in line with thencxt cutter of the adjoining series, so that as the disk brings this last-mentioned cutter around to the blank thclatter will be in position to have another nail cut from it by that cutter also; and as the disk continues to rotate, the plate g, with the blank, is then moved. back again in line with the first series of cutters, and so on continuously, a nail being cut firstfiby a cutter in one series, and then by acutter in the adjoiningserics, alternately, the cutters in the two series being inclined horizontallyin opposite directions, as representedd-n Fig. 5, inwhich b represents the nail-plate when having a nail cut from it by the cutter a,' and b the position of the nail-plate when presented to the next succeeding cutterfa, this movement of the nail-plate'b being also indicated by the red lines in Fig. 4. It will thusbe seen that the nails will be cut'from the plate I) alternately, head and point, theplate itself being neither turned norinclined at all from the vertical position, it simply beingmoved just itsnwidtll sidewise and the width of a nail downward each time a nail is cut, the altern'ate bevel of the nail or out being produced by the inclination of the cutters themselves.

In order to regulate the distance thatthe plate drops previous to the cutting off of a nail, and consequently the size of the nail out, I provide on each side. of the opening in front of the cutter a a small shoulder, it, upon which,

the lower end of the nail-plateb'strikes and rests as it drops down into saidopening, these shoulders at being of course arranged so as to let the bar I) drop just far enough to have the cutter a cut off a strip of thedesired size to form the nail, as represented in Fig. 3, in which the bar-or plate I) is represented as resting on the shoulder a just previous to the arrival of the cutter a, the blank of course resting on i the surface of the-cylinder after a nail is cut oii', until the recess in front of the next "cutter arrivesunder it, when itdrops therein, ready for another cut. I

In the recess directly 'in front of the cutter a, I locate a sliding clamp, 71, which is operated by means of the levers i 1", forming a knuckle-joint, and having one end pivoted at 0 to thedisk B, and the other .to the clamp h at e, as shown in Fig. 3. The knuckle-joint is operated by means of a rod, 12, which rests in a recess underneath its center, and has its lower end moved by coming incontact with the inclines 'v '0 c" on the base A underneath,

which operation will be described hereinaiter. In the opening directly below the edgeof the cutter a, I place a vertically-sliding rest,

, d, for the purpose of receiving and supporting the nail 92 after it is cut from theplate 6 and while it is being. headed, this part being rep-- resented in position in Fig. 3 and detached in Fig. 6. To this rest d, I attach a rod or stem, (1, which works in suitable guides and extends down through the cylinder B, so that its lower end shall follow in line with the rod p, and be operated also by the inclines 'v, o,

and r, the same asp. The nail, after being cut from the plateb and dropped down and held on the rest; d, is headed by means of a header, 1-, worked from the inside by a cam, k, on shaft 0, as represented iuFigs. '2 and 4, and those out by the outer circle of cutters, by means 'of headers w, worked from the outside'by means of inclines on the inside of the vertical arms E, as represented byf of Fig. 2. It will ofcourse be understood that this-arrangement of parts is thcsamc for each cut- "ter, the only difl'erence being that one half of the headers are operated from the inside, while the other half operate from the outside,

, so as to form the heads alternately on opposite ends of the blanks, as they are cut beveled, or inclined alternately in one and then in the opposite direction.

In large cylinders it may be desirable to opcrate the headers from below, which may be readily accomplished by pivoting the header in proper position in the cylinder and operati'ng it by inclines and knuckle-joints, if desired, and this Icontemplate doing in case of necessity. v

The operation is" as follows: The nail-plate b is inserted vertically into the recess in the carrier-plate'g, its lower end resting upon the face ofthe cylinder or disk 13. As the latter revolves, so as to bring one of the holes H under the plate b, the latter drops therein the width of a nail, where it rests on the shoul ders it, the clamp h at the same time being operated by the second incline, '0', and seizing and holding the plate I) while the nail is cut off by the cutter a. As soon as this is done, the rest d is raised by the first incline, o, the clamp It being released immediately thereafter by the rod 12 passing off from. the incline 1), whereby the nailn is released and drops down upon the rest d, where it is instantly clamped again by the clamp 71, which is operated by the last incline, '0; lVhile the nail is thus heldupon therest d the header r or w, as the case may be, comes into operation and forms the head, immediately after which the nail is released'by the dropping down of the slide h, on which the nail is supported while being headed, and drops down through the opening H, and thus the operation is repeated as each of the cutters is-brought around in line with one of the plates 1).

To hold the cylinder o r .disk Bin its proper with and friction-rollers, arranged at the sides of the cylinder instead,'to hold it in place.

There may be one or more series of cutters arranged on each disk or cylinder, and thus the capacity of the machine increased to any desired extent.

I am enabled to produce a machine that has its.

cutters moving in a direct line at'right angles to the plate being cut, and in which the motion is continuous instead. of reciprocating. The plate is fed by its own gravity, and nothing is required of the attendant but to keep the machine supplied with plates.

It is obvious that, if desired, instead of arranging the cutters a with their surfaces iii-- clined, as described, they may have their cut tin g-edges parallel with the upper surface of the cylinder, and the plate b be tilted sidewise to give the required incline or bevel to the sides I of the mail, but I prefer the former plan, as

being the simplest and least-liable to get out of order. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The horizontal] y-rot ting cylinder B, provided with a series of cutters and headers, in

combination with clamp h, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination witha series of cutters,

a, arranged as described, the laterally-recip rocating plate-holder 9, arranged in such relation to the rotating cylinder as to present the nail-plate alternately to the two circles of cutters, as set forth.

3. The combination of the clamp hand the sliding rest cl with the headers l and '20, when arranged-to operate substantially as described.

' 3R. (3. GRANT. \Vitnesses;

N. C. Doncn, P. T. DoDcE. 

